by Dilys Xavier
‘Oh, my, that was very good,’ Katie said, most appreciatively as they wandered into the large lounge for their coffee.
Tom eased back into his chair, and looked solemnly at her. ‘I’ve missed seeing you for the last couple of weeks, Katie, but I was well aware you had plenty on your plate, what with your aunt’s funeral, and the burglary. I presume everything went all right, and is all sorted out now?’
‘Yes, it’s all in the past, but I’ve decided to rent the place out, so I have to find new homes for all kinds of unwanted bits and bobs. Oh, by the way, my gardener’s going to rent my annex,’ she added. ‘I’ll feel so much safer with a man on the premises. Ever since the incident at the manor, I’ve felt uneasy, and nervous even in my own home at night.’ She gave a tiny little shiver. ‘It’s not a nice thought, but that robbery has made me apprehensive of being stuck out in the country on my own like this.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Tom said, and gently tapped the tips of his fingers together as he gave her a long look. ‘Now… if I may, I’d like to ask a favour of you, Katie.’
She looked at him in surprise. ‘Certainly, if I can help, I will,’ she replied.
‘My house was far too big for me, so I’ve sold it and bought a slightly smaller place. It’s an old farmhouse, in fact, but with a lot of land where I intend to do some light farming. The property isn’t far from here; it has several lawns and gardens, and backs onto some delightful woodlands that come with it.’ He leaned closer in a confidential manner, while Katie wondered what the favour could be.
‘My late wife was a great one for design and décor, but it was all modern stuff, you understand? She took charge of the whole lot for Amberley House.’ He glanced away for a moment. ‘But now that she’s no longer with me, it’s going to be a problem for me to get it right at the new place. It’s going to miss out on a woman’s touch.’ He tapped his fingertips together again as he continued to speak. ‘Would you be kind enough to advise me? You know, about wallpaper, curtains, furniture… the lot really? I want a whole fresh feel to the place and I’m not gifted that way at all, so I’d really appreciate your help.’ He sat back, and breathed deeply as he waited for her reply. ‘All in your own good time, of course, Katie, there’s no rush.’
Katie looked dubious while she thought about it. ‘Why don’t you call in the professionals?’ she asked. ‘I’m sure they’d do a better job than I would. I know they cost a lot to engage, but they’re surely worth it.’
‘I’ve considered that, but I’d much prefer to have your personal touch on the place,’ he said. ‘It’s an old farmhouse, and timbered, and in my opinion you’d be the best one to furnish it in a way that would complement such a building. The furniture in my other place was totally unsuitable for it. Anyway, I sold it all with the house. In the meantime, I’ve taken up residence at a comfortable hotel nearby.’
Katie took a deep breath, well aware that she could be taking on more than she wanted. ‘Well, I suppose I could try,’ she said, thoughtfully. ‘But what if my taste is not yours?’
‘I’ll take a chance on that,’ he said. ‘It’s a listed building, delightfully quaint, with two large rooms and a study downstairs, and three and a half bedrooms and a bathroom. Of course, the kitchen will have to be completely redesigned, and that’s another problem for me; I don’t have a clue.’ He leaned forward, and smiled. ‘Katie, knowing you, you can’t go wrong.’
‘Okay,’ Katie laughed, suddenly feeling some enthusiasm. ‘It should be fun.’
He reached out and took her hand, his smile lighting up his face. ‘Fantastic. Then the first thing to do is to take you there so that you can think up some ideas. Would tomorrow be all right?’
Katie thought for a minute. Tomorrow, Elspeth would be going home, and she had not planned another visit to Avondale Manor again for several days, and certainly not until Pat was free to go with her. ‘All right, we’ll make an early start straight after breakfast,’ she said. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
As they finished off their second cup of coffee, Katie mused on how dramatically her life had changed in such a short time. There would always be an ache in her heart for her darling Greg; nothing could ever eradicate the memories of the wonderful times they had together. She glanced around at the surroundings… life had to go on, and all these happenings, these involvements she was experiencing, helped push her miserable thoughts to the background. Her lips curved into a mischievous little smile as she realized she wouldn’t mind if this sort of life continued indefinitely. So far, it had been fun.
She brought herself back to the moment. ‘We’ll have to go home soon,’ she said, ‘or Elspeth and Cuthbert will be back before us, and sitting on the doorstep waiting to get into the house.’
Within half an hour they were back at Priory Farm and, sure enough, her two friends were wandering around the garden while they waited for her to return.
‘Please remember,’ Katie cautioned, as they came toward her, ‘that I told them I had a visitor coming who prevented me from joining them, and the name I fabricated wasn’t yours.
‘Understood,’ Tom said. ‘Have no worries… I’ll say nothing.’
The look of surprise on Elspeth’s face amused Katie. She introduced Tom to them both, and explained that they had been discussing an important project — as she aptly described it. Elspeth seemed to accept the explanation, and so Katie was greatly relieved that her friend made no comment that Rex was the one who had been expected to call.
Katie could not help but notice how her friend’s eyes sparkled, how her cheeks glowed, and how positively thrilled she looked. It gave her a great deal of satisfaction to realize that she had been instrumental in bringing this about.
The four of them went into the house and Katie was surprised to find that several hours had passed before Tom announced he must be going. Cuthbert decided it was time he went home as well.
The two women watched them drive out through the gates one after the other, and then Elspeth turned to Katie. ‘My word, Cuthbert’s a talker… nonstop; I barely got a word in.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But he’s a lovely man, Katie, and such a gentleman. I always did fancy him. I still do, as a matter of fact.’ Then she coloured a little. ‘He wants to see me next weekend.’
‘Then make the most of it,’ Katie said. ‘Meeting a delightful, mature bachelor of means doesn’t happen every day.’ She winked. ‘You never know, play your cards right, and I may have a wedding to attend.’
‘Hey, I wish… I should be so lucky,’ Elspeth said, giving her friend a playful dig in the ribs.
Elspeth’s adrenaline seemed to be fast flowing and she went on talking non-stop about Cuthbert until it became so late that Katie had to excuse herself and go to bed, knowing she was going out early in the morning with Tom.
After breakfast Elspeth examined her reflection in the hall mirror as she was on her way out. She patted her hair and smiled at her reflection. ‘Getting my hair styled was a brilliant idea of yours,’ she said. ‘It’s given me confidence.’ She peered more closely at herself. ‘I don’t look like I used to. Do I?’
‘You don’t. You look ten years younger, so keep it that way, Elspeth. Keep your hair blonde, too; that mousy colour did nothing for you. Now off with you, and take care. I have jobs to do before I go out with Tom this morning.’ She gave her friend a hug, and watched her drive away.
The Colonel was early, but Katie was ready when he pulled up.
‘We’ll be there before ten,’ he said. ‘We’ll have a good look around the house, and then we’ll have a bite at the local.’ He gave Katie a quick glance. ‘After that, if you feel up to choosing some furniture and carpets, we could go on to one of the big stores.
As they travelled, Katie noticed that the countryside seemed a continuation of the lovely area in which she lived. The brilliant morning sun shone through fast scudding clouds that littered the sky. In flashes, it highlighted the roofs and whitewashed walls of the scattered farmhouses dotted on th
e hillsides, and gave a jewel like brilliance to the dew covered fields and the thick foliage of the hedges surrounding them.
Tom broke her reverie as he pointed ahead. ‘There’s Springwood Farm, nestled in that little hollow against those woods,’ he said, pointing excitedly.
‘Oh, now that really is picturesque,’ Katie exclaimed, clasping her hands together as they drew up to a scene reminiscent of nostalgic chocolate box pictures of Olde Worlde English country cottages in full summer splendor. She stepped out of the car and stood back to look up at the thatched roof, intricately woven around the windows that seemed to have been tucked in beneath it. ‘What a lot of loving care and time went into thatching that roof,’ she remarked.
She moved farther back to study it some more. ‘Oh, Tom, this is such a pretty cottage. I love those roses around the door, and the honeysuckle and hollyhock, both right outside the windows where they can be seen easily. But, oh, my word, just imagine opening the front door to this summer fragrance.’ She breathed deeply of the heady perfume that wafted around the pretty cottage farmhouse. It’s gorgeous… I could live here myself.’
She was quick to note the responsive smile that lit up Tom’s face as he unlocked the front door, and for some reason she suddenly regretted her over enthusiastic comments.
He walked in and wrinkled his nose. ‘Smells a bit musty.’ He opened several windows. ‘That’s because it hasn’t been lived in for a while, but we’ll soon change that, eh?’ He took Katie’s hand and drew her farther inside the large room, which was well lit from several windows. Near the back door of the spacious, but dilapidated old kitchen, rose a spiral staircase to the upper floor.
‘That’s really quaint, but what an odd place to put a staircase,’ Katie commented. ‘This cottage farmhouse must be very old.’
From a door in the corner of the kitchen, they walked into a decent sized dining room, and from there they went through another door, which brought them back in a full circle to the sitting room.
‘I don’t think this layout is typical of an ancient farmhouse, but I find it most interesting,’ Katie said, as she climbed the staircase. Every one of the minute bedroom windows looked out onto green fields or wooded areas, and not far away, she saw the river, lazily snaking its way through the pastures that went with the house.
‘Well, that’s it,’ he said. ‘I told you it would take just minutes to see. Tiny, compared with what I had previously, but idyllic. I think I’ll be very happy here.’
‘Anyone would,’ Katie commented, as they went back outside, and she noticed again how pleased Tom looked.
He smiled as he locked the front door behind them and escorted Katie back to the car. ‘Now let’s look for something to eat, and then, if you feel up to it, we’ll go shopping.’
‘Suits me,’ Katie said. Seeing the place had given her some ideas and lots of enthusiasm. She felt she would thoroughly enjoy choosing suitable furniture for such a pretty place; it would give her a kind of creative satisfaction. ‘Of course, you realize that it’s not a modern furniture shop you need, but an antique store?’ She paused. ‘That’s likely to be an expensive visit. Unless you’d be satisfied with reproduction?’
‘No matter what the cost is, I want the real thing, and I know the very place for it.’ Tom headed in the direction of the inn for their lunch. ‘We’ll eat first, and go there straight afterwards.’
Katie was quiet as she thought hard about what furniture would best suit the place. ‘You must be careful not to overfill it, Tom. It has to be just right, and then it’ll look a dream.’
After lunch, they went to the largest antique store that Katie had ever seen.
‘Oh, my word, look at this lot. Spoilt for choice,’ she murmured, as they wandered around. They continued to look through the store that was packed with every antique imaginable. Choosing the right furniture was difficult, and it took almost two hours before she had found what she thought would be suitable. Tom approved everything she picked out, and put a deposit on each item. Then they moved on to a nearby, modern furniture shop, where they spent another hour choosing some super-sprung divans for the bedrooms, and a soft leather reproduction sitting room suite.
Katie turned to Tom, and spread her hands. ‘I think that’s just about covered everything,’ She gave him a happy smile. ‘You’ll be living there before you can turn around.’
When they got back to Katie’s place, she invited Tom in for coffee and homemade scones.
‘So you approve my choice of house?’ he asked.
‘I most certainly do.’ She leaned closer to him and smiled. ‘And if I had to look for another place to live in, I would think myself fortunate to have found that one.’
Tom looked very pleased, and reached over for her hand and patted it. ‘Today was hard work, Katie, and I can’t thank you enough for your help.’
‘It was a challenge, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.’ Then a thought struck her. ‘Look, I have to go to the Manor soon to sort out some items that need new homes. Maybe you’d like to come with me on one of my trips to see if there’s anything there that you fancy for your cottage. If so, you’re welcome to it.’
Tom beamed at her. ‘You are kindness itself, Katie Turner. That’s a wonderful suggestion. Thank you; I’ll take you up on that offer.’
Katie was delighted. It was obvious that whatever she had said or done this morning had made a great difference to the way Tom felt. She was pleased to have helped him, but then she furrowed her brows; there were also little things about the day that worried her.
Chapter Ten
The next morning Katie lay in bed thinking about the visit to Tom’s new house, and the pleasure she would have placing all the beautiful antique pieces in the right places. It was going to be fun. Then she frowned again, as she recollected her careless enthusiasm about the place, and how her words had affected Tom… like he imagined she could see herself living in the cottage.
She hadn’t meant it that way, but how was he to know? Dismissing what she was thinking as silly, Katie began to consider that the items still left in the old manor house would have to be found new homes quickly. She had made the offer to Tom, and liked the idea of giving them to him, rather than auctioning them to dealers for next to nothing. She pulled out the list she had made, and ticked items she would offer him. She would invite him to the manor to pick out what he wanted, but it would have to be soon.
‘That’s what I’ll do, instead of thinking about it,’ she murmured, and dialed his number before she got out of bed.
‘Why, Katie,’ Tom exclaimed, in a surprised tone, ‘it’s lovely to hear your voice, but why so early? Is everything all right?’
‘No problems,’ she answered. ‘It’s just that I think we should go to the manor as soon as possible, so that you can choose whatever you want out of what’s left there.’
‘That sounds a jolly good idea,’ Tom said. ‘When do you intend to go?’
‘Is today too soon?’ she said.
There was a slight pause, and the rustle of paper as he consulted his diary. ‘Aren’t we supposed to be looking at kitchens today?’
‘Oh, yes, I’d forgotten that, sorry. I’m not fully awake yet.’ She giggled. ‘I was dreaming about your farmhouse and the furniture last night, and it’s all still racing around my head.’
‘Oh? You dreamed about Springwood Farm? That’s good. Was I in your dreams as well, Katie?’ He gave a little chuckle. ‘I’d like to think so.’
‘Listen,’ Katie went on, ignoring his question, ‘I’m sure we could manage both today, provided we find the right sort of kitchen straight away. We could go to the firm on the industrial estate near town… the one that offers the biggest selection, and then go straight on to Avondale from there.’
‘Right,’ Tom said. ‘I’ll pick you up in an hour.’
Katie flung back the bedcover and headed for the shower. She had just phoned Sam to say where she was going, when Tom pulled up outside the door. She hurried out,
but before she climbed into the car, she slipped over to give Pat the back door key so that he could make himself a coffee.
He stood up from the task he was doing and stretched. Then he took a long, hard look at the car, and the man who stood beside it. ‘You’re a busy lady these days,’ he said, tersely, without his usual happy smile.
‘Only helping a friend choose his new kitchen,’ she explained.
Pat glanced at the man again, nodded, and turned back to his work without further comment.
‘Everything all right, Pat,’ Katie asked hesitantly, wondering why he seemed a bit distant.
He merely half-turned his head to reply. ‘No complaints,’ he said. ‘It’s just that I’m a very busy person too.’
‘Your gardener is making a huge difference to the place,’ Tom commented, as he opened the car door for her. ‘Of course, he’s going to be a permanent feature here now.’
‘You could say that,’ she laughed. ‘He’s moving into the annex soon. He’s so good to me.’ She glanced in Pat’s direction. ‘He’s thoughtful, incredibly kind, and such a delightful person to have around. I really don’t know what I’d do without him.’
‘I see,’ was Tom’s dry response, and he said little more as he drove in the direction of the kitchen centre. When they walked into the showroom, Katie was immediately drawn to a solid looking mahogany kitchen on display. The colour was rich, the cream work surfaces were practicable, and there was ample storage space. A quick look around made Katie realize that nothing else out of the extensive range seemed as attractive.
‘There it is. That’s the one I’d have,’ Katie said, as she tapped the kitchen counter surface and then smoothed her fingers along the rich coloured wood.
Obviously noticing her enthusiasm, an assistant hurried over to them, and explained that it was at a reduced price, and that it would be fitted to measure. When the man promised immediate installation, Tom quickly made all the necessary arrangements.
